1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bottled water dispensers, and more particularly to an improved bottled water dispenser for dispensing water that has been sanitized using ozone and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for sanitizing a water cooler of the type having an inverted bottle for containing water with a neck portion of the bottle communicating with an open reservoir.
2. General Background of the Invention
One of the most common types of bottled water dispensers is a floor standing cabinet having an open top that receives a large inverted bottle. The bottle is typically of a plastic or glass material having a constricted neck. The bottle is turned upside down and placed on the top of the cabinet with the neck of the bottle extending into a water filled reservoir so that the water seeks its own level in the reservoir during use. As a user draws water from a spigot dispenser, the liquid level in the reservoir drops until it falls below the neck of the bottle at which time water flows from the bottle and bubbles enter the bottle until pressure has equalized.
These types of inverted bottle water dispensers are sold by a number of companies in the United States. Many are refrigerated.
One of the problems with bottled water dispensers that use an inverted bottle is that of cleansing the unit from time to time. Because the top is not air tight, it breathes so that bacteria can easily enter the reservoir over a period of time.
In addition to the problem of an open top, the five gallon bottles that are typically used in combination with a cabinet having an open reservoir are themselves a source of bacteria and germs. Most of these bottles are transported on trucks where the bottles are exposed to outside air. They are handled by operators that typically grab the bottle at the neck, the very part of the bottle that communicates with the open reservoir during use. Unfortunately, it is difficult to convince every person that handles these bottles to wash their hands frequently enough.
In order to properly sanitize such a water dispenser or cooler, the user must carefully clean the neck of the bottle prior to combining the bottle with the cabinet. Further, the user should drain and sanitize the reservoir from time to time. The cleansing of the reservoir in such a water dispenser is a time consuming project that is typically not done often enough.
The present invention provides an improved self sanitizing water dispenser apparatus as well as a method for generating ozone for cleaning the reservoir and the water contained within it.